Abortion

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 July (WA 87), when the policy that the National Health Service does not provide assistance to women who travel to England and Wales from Northern Ireland seeking abortions was agreed; what the reasons are for it; whether there is a statutory basis for excluding those not ordinarily resident in Great Britain; whether they have produced guidance for hospitals on the policy; and whether the same policy applies to European Union nationals not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom who are exercising treaty rights in Northern Ireland by living and working there.

Earl Howe: Women travelling from Northern Ireland to England to request an abortion generally make their own arrangements and pay privately. The department has not issued any guidance on this issue.
	There is no absolute right for a patient to receive a particular treatment under the National Health Service. The Secretary of State has a duty under Section 3 of the National Health Service Act 2006 to provide or secure the provision of a variety of secondary care services to such extent as he considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. This qualified duty is currently delegated to primary care trusts (PCTs). It is a matter for each PCT to consider, in exercising this duty in relation to abortion services, whether treatment for women resident in Northern Ireland seeking an abortion in their area should be provided, based on the particular circumstances of each case.
	For non-United Kingdom residents, including European Union nationals, guidance on the provision of and charges for termination of pregnancy is included in Guidance on Implementing the Overseas Visitors Hospital Charging Regulations. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Adoption

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they were consulted by John Larkin, the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland, before his intervention in the adoption case of X & others v. Austria (No. 19010/07) at the European Court of Human Rights; whether they were advised of his intervention; whether they approved it; whether they accept he has the power so to intervene as Attorney General; and whether they have intervened separately in the case.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Government were not consulted by the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland before he intervened in the case of X v Austria. I can confirm that the intervention was brought to the Government's attention, but they have sought to intervene separately and have not approved the terms of the intervention. The Government have made it clear to the European Court of Human Rights that the intervention does not represent the views of the UK Government and that our position as to the Attorney-General's entitlement to intervene is reserved.

Armed Forces: Medals

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will release the citation behind the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Flying Officer John Walter de Foix Rawle (113590) of RAFVR No. 138 Squadron announced in the London Gazette on 19 September 1944.

Lord Astor of Hever: Papers relating to why the Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded to Flying Officer John Walter de Foix Rawle are no longer held by the Ministry of Defence, and any that may have survived will be in the custody of the National Archives at Kew. Any inquiries to them should quote Air Ministry File reference number A691847/44 and Public Record Office piece number 9275.

Aviation: Passenger Duty

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased air passenger duty on jobs and growth; on businesses with international interests; and on families with relations abroad.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the impact of increased air passenger duty on the airline and tourist industries; and how they have responded to those representations.

Lord Sassoon: The Government undertook an extensive consultation on air passenger duty last year. The consultation gathered views and evidence from stakeholders, which included views on the impact of the duty. Over 500 responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders, including from the airline and tourist industries, businesses and consumers. The Government published their response to the consultation, including a summary of views received, on 6 December 2011.
	Air passenger duty rates for 2013-14 were set out at the last Budget. The Government will continue to monitor developments in the aviation and related tourism sectors.

Banks: Lending

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how and when they will judge whether measures recently announced to encourage lending by banks to United Kingdom companies are succeeding.

Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England will publish, for each bank participating in the funding for lending scheme, the amount borrowed from the bank and the net flows of lending to households and non-financial businesses, on a quarterly basis, from 3 December 2012.

Bees

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ban the use of neonicotinoid-based insecticides in order to protect the health of the bee population.

Lord De Mauley: The Government take very seriously any threat to bees, which are important in their own right and as key pollinators. We have therefore kept the evidence on neonicotinoids under close and open-minded scrutiny and have made it clear that we are prepared to take whatever action is necessary. This action could include restricting or withdrawing the approved uses of neonicotinoids.
	New research was published earlier this year, suggesting that low doses of neonicotinoids could have sub-lethal effects on bees with consequences for bee populations. We arranged for this to be assessed alongside the existing evidence. The assessment was carried out by experts from: the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of HSE; Defra's Food and Environment Research Agency; Defra's Science Advisory Council; and the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides. A document summarising the evidence and the experts' assessment has been placed on the Defra website.
	The Government have concluded that:
	it is appropriate to update the process for assessing the risks of pesticides to bees in the light of recent developments in the science. This exercise should include the development of a new risk assessment for bumble-bees and solitary bees, alongside an updated risk assessment for honey bees. This work is being taken forward in Europe and UK experts are active in this. The aim is to complete this highly complex task by the end of 2012;further research will be carried out to fill identified evidence gaps, including the questions raised about the relevance of the recent studies to field conditions. The Government have already put new research in place to explore further the impacts of neonicotinoids on bumble-bees in field conditions and to understand what levels of pesticide residues and disease in bees are normal; and the recent studies do not justify changing existing regulation. However, the research that we have put in hand and the ongoing work in Europe to develop the risk assessment could change the picture and it is always possible that further new evidence may emerge. As our knowledge develops, we will continue to consider the need for further research and for any changes to the regulation of neonicotinoids.

Bees

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the varroa mite and neonicotinoid-based insecticides on the bee population.

Lord De Mauley: The Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit (NBU) has been investigating the causes of cases of significant bee colony losses in England and Wales. Analysis of the results of this research has shown that the most important risk factor in the mortality or weakening of colonies is deformed wing virus, a virus transmitted by the parasitic varroa mite. Since 2010, when in-season colony losses were 12.5% of colonies inspected, the situation has improved considerably and losses have been much lower than in previous years, although there has been a slight increase this year, reflecting the poor summer weather.
	The varroa mite is endemic throughout most of mainland UK and is a serious problem for beekeepers. However, it can be kept under control with appropriate treatments and hive management techniques. Guidance on varroa management is available on the NBU's BeeBase website (www.nationalbeeunit.com). The NBU also provides advice to beekeepers on effective management of varroa both through its comprehensive training programme and when visiting individual beekeepers.
	Research was published earlier this year which suggested that low doses of neonicotinoids could have sub-lethal effects on bees with consequences for bee populations. We arranged for this to be assessed, alongside the existing evidence, by experts from the Chemicals Regulation Directorate, Defra's Food and Environment Research Agency, Defra's Science Advisory Council, and the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides. A document summarising the evidence and the experts' assessment is available on the Defra website.

Benefits

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 24 September (WA 296) why they do not maintain figures on the number and amount of child benefit and child tax credit payable, by country, to persons residing in the European Economic Area or Switzerland where the United Kingdom is the responsible state for payment under European Union law; and whether they will provide approximate figures or an estimate of the total amount paid to non-United Kingdom workers.

Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue and Customs maintains a database showing the number of ongoing UK family benefit awards made under EC Regulation 883/2004. This regulation protects the social security rights of nationals of all member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, including the UK, when they exercise their rights of free movement under EU law.
	Around 7.5 million families are currently claiming child benefit for around 13 million children and approximately 5.2 million families are receiving the child tax credit for almost 9.3 million children. Of that total, as at 30 September 2012, there were 23,855 ongoing child benefit awards under EC Regulation 883/2004 in respect of 40,251 children living in another member state and 3,447 ongoing awards of the child tax credit under the regulation in respect of 5,962 children living in another member state. The breakdown by member state is as follows:
	
		
			 Child Benefit 
			 Country Number of ongoing awards as at 30.09.12 Number of children in ongoing awards as at 30.09.12 
			 Austria 27 41 
			 Belgium 146 290 
			 Bulgaria 175 227 
			 Cyprus 54 78 
			 Czech Republic 179 293 
			 Denmark 20 34 
			 Estonia 37 57 
			 Finland 15 33 
			 France 1155 2146 
			 Germany 368 647 
			 Greece 53 79 
			 Hungary 132 203 
			 Iceland 3 5 
			 Italy 202 350 
			 Latvia 822 1109 
			 Lithuania 1212 1710 
			 Luxembourg 10 21 
			 Malta 15 21 
			 Netherlands 194 384 
			 Norway 37 72 
			 Poland 15251 25623 
			 Portugal 236 355 
			 Republic of Ireland 1242 2529 
			 Romania 197 334 
			 Slovakia 1105 1953 
			 Slovenia 7 12 
			 Spain 776 1291 
			 Sweden 64 112 
			 Switzerland 121 242 
			 Totals 23,855 40,251 
		
	
	
		
			 Child Tax Credit 
			 Country Number of ongoing awards as at 30 September 2012 Number of children in ongoing awards as at 30 September 2012 
			 Austria 3 5 
			 Belgium 4 11 
			 Bulgaria 47 59 
			 Cyprus 0 0 
			 Czech Republic 20 31 
			 Denmark 1 1 
			 Estonia 8 10 
			 Finland 2 3 
			 France 82 171 
			 Germany 37 58 
			 Greece 3 5 
			 Hungary 36 53 
			 Iceland 0 0 
			 Italy 14 28 
			 Latvia 153 206 
			 Lithuania 320 467 
			 Luxembourg 1 2 
			 Malta 2 2 
			 Netherlands 6 12 
			 Norway 5 10 
			 Poland 1925 3250 
			 Portugal 20 38 
			 Republic of Ireland 508 973 
			 Romania 42 73 
			 Slovakia 135 247 
			 Slovenia 1 1 
			 Spain 67 129 
			 Sweden 3 15 
			 Switzerland 2 2 
			 Totals 3,447 5,962 
		
	
	Information about the value of family benefits awarded by the UK under EC Regulation 883/2004 is only available at disproportionate costs. This is because under the priority rules in that regulation, not all such awards are made at full UK rates.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of badgers need to be culled in Somerset and Gloucester for their bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy to be considered successful.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will verify that the correct percentage of badgers has been culled in Somerset and Gloucester as part of their bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy.

Lord De Mauley: In the first year of culling, a minimum number of badgers must be removed. This minimum number should be set at a level that in Natural England's judgment should reduce the estimated badger population of the application area by at least 70%.
	In the two pilot areas, Defra agencies will be undertaking monitoring work and will collect samples from all badgers culled. After the cull has been completed this data will be used to provide further confidence on the percentage of the population removed.

Burma

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received reports that torture is still being used against political prisoners in Burma.

Baroness Warsi: We remain seriously concerned about all allegations of ill-treatment and torture in Burmese prisons, including of those imprisoned for their political views.
	In a statement on 5 August, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma, Tomas Quintana, referred to unverified reports of the use of torture in places of detention following the violence in Rakhine state.
	We continue to call for the release of all political prisoners at every opportunity. In a statement on 18 September 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), welcomed the release of a number of political prisoners on 17 September 2012, urged all remaining political prisoners to be released and called on the Government to establish an independent mechanism to look into disputed cases. He also pressed for the lifting of restrictions, including on travel, on those already released.
	On 25 September 2012, the Foreign Secretary reiterated these concerns to the Burmese Foreign Minister, U Wunna Maung Lwin, when they met at the UN General Assembly session.

Burma

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to obtain the release of the Burmese human rights activist, U Myint Aye.

Baroness Warsi: U Myint Aye was not included in the most recent release of political prisoners on 17 September 2012 and remains in detention.
	We continue to call for the unconditional release of all political prisoners at every opportunity, most recently by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), during his meeting with Burmese Foreign Minister, U Wunna Maung Lwin, when they met at the UN General Assembly session on 25 September 2012.

Business Rates

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend the cost of financing the proposed safety net under the localised business rate system to be met by local authorities rather than central government.

Baroness Hanham: The Government confirmed, in the technical consultation published on 17 July, that the safety net will be funded by a levy on the disproportionate benefits that some authorities will experience as a result of growth in their business rates revenues. The consultation is available on the department's website at: http://www.communities.gov. uk/publications/localgovemment/businessratestechnical.

Business Rates

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what use they intend to make of the £600 million surplus in business rates collected in 2011-12; and what amount is estimated to accrue in 2012-13.

Baroness Hanham: All business rates received by DCLG are eventually paid out to local authorities. Each year DCLG calculates a distributable amount of business rates to be paid out to local authorities as part of the annual local government finance settlement, which reflects both the amount of business rates to be collected in the year as well as any surplus or deficit brought forward from previous years. The distributable amount for 2012-13 was calculated on the best available forecast information, including amounts expected to be carried forward from 2011-12 and previous years, and therefore, at this stage, no surplus or deficit is expected.

Businesses: Language Skills

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage British companies to increase the use of foreign languages when marketing products to European Union member states.

Lord Marland: The UK Government have competence for English skills policy; the policy is a matter for the devolved Administrations in the other countries of the UK.
	The Government's reforms are creating a dynamic and flexible skills system that responds to the changing needs of businesses and individuals with high-quality provision that improves competitiveness. We are developing a demand-led model that is led not by Government, but by employers and individuals themselves, arming them with the support, funding and information to shape provision for the benefit of their businesses and to enrich their lives. Businesses are in the best position to understand what skills are needed in their organisation, including language skills; the skills system supports business to gain those skills. In addition, the Employer Ownership pilot is giving employers direct control of skills funding and puts skills solutions into their hands.
	UK Trade and Investment provides a subsidised service, available to small and medium enterprises, which helps them to overcome language and cultural barriers in overseas markets. The service encourages companies to translate and localise both their marketing materials and their websites to meet the requirements of their overseas clients. Companies are signposted to organisations that can provide them with assistance selecting providers for translation and language skills.

Businesses: Skills and Qualifications

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to put in place fiscal incentives to ensure that United Kingdom companies encourage appropriate staff to obtain qualifications in international trade and exporting.

Lord Marland: The UK Government have competence for English skills policy; the policy is a matter for the devolved Administrations in the other countries of the UK.
	The Government's reforms are creating a dynamic and flexible skills system that responds to the changing needs of businesses and individuals with high-quality provision that improves competitiveness. We are developing a demand-led model that is led not by Government, but by employers and individuals themselves, arming them with the support, funding and information to shape provision for the benefit of their businesses and to enrich their lives. Businesses are in the best position to understand what skills are needed in their organisation, including skills in exporting; the skill system supports business to gain those skills. In addition, the Employer Ownership Pilot gives employers direct control of skills funding and puts skills solutions into their hands.

Care Services: Funding

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will introduce legislation to reform the funding of adult social care.

Earl Howe: The draft Care and Support Bill published in July 2012 includes several new funding elements recommended by the Dilnot Commission.
	We have committed to introducing universal access to deferred payments from April 2015 for people in residential care. This will ensure that no one will be forced to sell their home to pay for their care in their lifetime. The draft Bill also allows for national eligibility, which will make the offer of support for people easier to understand, reduce the variation in access to care depending on where people live, and help people to plan and prepare for their care.
	While we support the principles of the approach recommended by the Dilnot Commission-financial protection through capped costs and an extended means test-and it is our intention to base a new funding model on them if a way to pay for this can be found, there are important questions that need to be addressed about how those principles could be applied to any reformed system.
	The reform to the funding system will be a significant change to the funding of social care. This issue affects us all. But we face the challenge of rising demand for care, which goes much wider than the Dilnot recommendations. It is only right that we work through the potential changes in detail. We will continue to engage with stakeholders and others with an interest so that we have the right information to make a final decision. We have drafted the Bill with flexibility to incorporate any further funding reforms in due course.

Child Benefits

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plans to reform child benefit will result in some families losing their entitlement to benefit while families with greater total income retain theirs; and, if so, what plans they have to address this.

Lord Sassoon: Child benefit will continue to be paid to all families who claim and are entitled to it. The tax charge will only apply to people on an income over £50,000 who claim child benefit or whose partner claims child benefit. This charge will increase gradually for taxpayers with an income between £50,000 and £60,000.
	If the Government were to consider total household income, this would mean collecting information of the incomes of everyone in each of the eight million households receiving child benefit. This would effectively introduce a new means test. The Government's approach will withdraw child benefit from those on high incomes while leaving the majority of claimants unaffected: 85% of families will be completely unaffected by the changes.

Children: Poverty

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children were estimated to live in poverty in the United Kingdom in 2010; what is their estimate for 2011; and what is their forecast for 2015.

Lord Freud: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in income poverty in the United Kingdom are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series.
	The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).
	relative low income-latest figures available are for 2010-11, which show that 2.3 million children (18%) in the UK are in households with income below 60% of contemporary median;combined low income and material deprivation-latest figures available are for 2010-11, which show that 1.9 million children (14%) in the UK are in households with combined low income and material deprivation;absolute low income-latest figures available are for 2010-11, which show that 1.4 million children (11%) in the UK are in households with income below 60% of 1998-99 median income, held constant in real terms; and persistent poverty-latest figures available are for 2005-08, which show that 12% of children in Great Britain have been in relative low income poverty for at least three of the latest four years. These figures were published in a separate statistical release called Low-Income Dynamics.
	Figures for the period of 2011-12 for the first three measures are due to be reported in the next HBAI publication, which will be available from the below DWP website from May/June 2013: http://statistics.dwp. gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai.
	The Government have not produced forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty for 2015. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
	Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today. We are very interested in developing better measurements of child poverty that include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty in the UK today, and will be seeking a wide range of views in the autumn as part of a consultation on how best to measure child poverty.

Civil Service: Redundancy

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the pressure on council budgets and the costs of redundancies, they will (1) allow local authorities to minimise the impact of such costs on service provision by authorising large-scale capitalisation of redundancy payments in the current financial year, or (2) authorise statutory redundancy payments to be treated as capital expenditure and permit the use of capital receipts for that purpose.

Baroness Hanham: As I indicated in my answer to the noble Peer of 24 March 2011 (Official Report, col. WA203), capitalisation scores as revenue expenditure in the national accounts, and therefore affects the deficit reduction programme.
	Such scoring was the case under the last Administration; indeed, as the department then stated:
	"General Policy: Capitalisation raises concerns at the macroeconomic level by facilitating a practice which threatens the achievement of the Government's fiscal rules. For that reason, it is appropriate that capitalisation directions are considered against strict criteria, and that the Government should be able to closely monitor and control the degree and use of directions' (CLG, Capitalisation Directions 2009-10: Policy and Procedures, December 2009, p.3).
	Ministers also asserted:
	"Local authority capitalisation presents a significant risk to the prudent management of national fiscal rules and needs to be managed closely".-(Official Report, Commons, 13/9/06; col. 2355W).
	In that context, the potential for further capitalisation is currently under consideration.

Civil Service: Secondments

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many senior civil servants at the Department for Communities and Local Government are on secondment to local authorities in the United Kingdom or abroad; and what are the names of those local authorities.

Baroness Hanham: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has a total of six staff on secondment to local authorities in the United Kingdom, and none abroad.
	Of the six staff on secondment to local authorities, one is a senior civil servant and is on secondment to Westminster City Council.
	The remaining five non-senior civil servant staff are on secondments to:
	Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council;Westminster City Council;Essex County Council;Manchester City Council; andLondon Borough Newham Council.

Crime and Courts Bill

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers under the Crime and Courts Bill (1) will, and (2) could under clause 2, (a) the National Crime Agency or its director general, and (b) the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, have in relation to policing in Northern Ireland, including directions and policy in relation to policing, which could not be exercised by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency or currently by the Home Secretary.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The provisions in the Crime and Courts Bill relating to Northern Ireland broadly replicate those for the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). There are a small number of new provisions in the Bill in relation to Northern Ireland, including strengthened data-sharing arrangements, mutual arrangements to request a partner undertakes a specified task and specific arrangements for the continuity of membership of the police pension scheme if taking up a key designated post in the National Crime Agency (NCA). No decision has been made in relation to a potential future role for the NCA in relation to counterterrorism. Clause 2 includes specific arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Energy: Wind Farms

Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider further ways of safeguarding landscape character or visual amenity in the planning process for wind farm development.

Baroness Hanham: There are already strong protections in place to safeguard valued landscapes in England and to ensure visual amenity is properly taken into account in the planning process for wind farm developments. These are set out in the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (read alongside the relevant sections of the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy), together with the National Planning Policy Framework.
	The framework is clear that local planning authorities should design their policies to ensure that adverse impacts of renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily, including cumulative landscape and visual impacts.

Eritrea

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, after the death in prison of Mr Dawit Habtemichael, they will make representations to the Government of Eritrea regarding the release of the four journalists believed to be still alive, following their disappearances in September 2001.

Baroness Warsi: We regularly raise the cases of the journalists detained in September 2001, as well as those detained since, with the Eritrean Government. In August 2012, our ambassador, along with EU counterparts, raised our concerns about reports that only four of the journalists detained in September 2001 were still alive.
	The UK supported the UN Human Rights Council resolution of July 2012 that strongly condemned the detention of journalists in Eritrea. We will continue to raise our concerns at every opportunity.

Eritrea

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek a European Union travel ban on ministers and officials responsible for torture and deaths in custody in Eritrea.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We are extremely concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea and reports of torture and deaths in custody. We, as well as the EU, regularly raise the importance of observing international human rights standards with the Government of Eritrea.
	There are currently no plans, however, to introduce EU travel bans against individuals responsible for human rights abuses in Eritrea and we do not consider that this would be the most effective tool. If the EU were to impose travel bans, this would need to be adopted unanimously by all member states.

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider minimal mandatory antenatal data gathering, including on female genital mutilation and cutting.

Earl Howe: The Maternity and Children's Dataset will be introduced in April 2013 and will provide information that can be used to improve the quality of clinical care and efficiency of maternity services. The data items that have been approved so far do not include female genital mutilation (FGM). We are discussing with the National Health Service and Social Care Information Centre whether and how soon it might be possible to include data on FGM.
	Additionally, the NHS and Social Care Information Centre collect data on hospital episode statistics (HES), with details of all admissions to NHS hospitals in England. HES clinical codes do not currently enable us to identify admissions for FGM-related treatment such as deinfibulation. We are exploring the inclusion of a HES code for deinfibulation in the next update of HES coding scheduled for release in April 2014.

Finance: Private Savings

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to secure an increase in the private savings ratio in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sassoon: The Government's savings strategy is based on the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility so that it meets the needs of consumers while remaining effective and affordable. In particular, the Government aim to encourage more lower- and middle-income households to start saving and to save more, especially for the long term and retirement.
	The Government have taken steps to support existing savers and encourage new savers, including:
	promoting choice by providing flexibility to consumers in a competitive market. This includes introducing a junior ISA, removing the effective requirement to annuitise at age 75 and announcing, at Budget 2012, that the Government will work with the industry to improve competitiveness and transparency in the ISA market;fairness in incentives to save. To increase savings levels, from this month, the Government have introduced a legal requirement for eligible individuals to be automatically enrolled by their employer into a workplace pension scheme. It is estimated that this will have an impact of 6 to 9 million individuals starting to save, or saving more, into a pension, generating around £10 billion of additional savings per year from 2020; andpersonal responsibility within the saving, debt and protection system so individuals are equipped to exercise effective choice and plan for expected and unexpected events. The Government have introduced the Money Advice Service, which, among other services, provides a free financial health check, supported the development of simple financial products and worked with industry and consumer groups to establish a "default" open market option, which requires retirees to make an active choice about their provider and the shape of their annuity.

Fire and Rescue Services

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fire-fighters were employed in each of the metropolitan and combined fire authorities in the United Kingdom on 1 May in (1) 2010, (2) 2011, and (3) 2012.

Baroness Hanham: These figures are available on my department's website, in the yearly publication: Fire and Rescue Service: Operational Statistics Bulletin for England, which can be found at:www.communities.gov.uk/fire/ researchandstatistics/firestatistics/firerescue/
	The department collects data as of 31 March each year.

Fire and Rescue Services

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings with the Fire Brigades Union they have had since coming into office.

Baroness Hanham: Ministers and officials within the Department for Communities and Local Government meet the Fire Brigades Union and other fire and rescue representative bodies on a regular basis to discuss matters of mutual interest.
	Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisation are published on my department's website.

Fire and Rescue Services

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fire stations have been closed since 11 May 2010 in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Hanham: UK figures are not held centrally. Figures on the number of fire stations are collected annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The table below places the figures in context:
	
		
			 Fire stations in England As of 31 March 
			 2009 1,453 
			 2010 1,438 
			 2011 1,439 
			 2012 1,428

Firearms: Home Office Firearms Forms Working Group

Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the results of the Home Office Firearms Forms Working Group will be published.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The content of the new single firearm and shotgun application form and the firearm variation form has now been agreed by the Home Office Firearms Forms Working Group. The two forms are now being designed to enable both manual data input and optical character recognition technology (OCRT). The new forms are scheduled for rollout in the spring of 2013.

Forced Marriage

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of child marriages on the education, heath and security of girls in the developing world.

Baroness Northover: Child marriage has a significant impact on girls' ability to complete their education. The available evidence indicates that enabling girls to stay in education may be the single most important factor in reducing child marriage. Supporting girls to complete primary education and progress through to secondary education is a high priority for DfID, reflected in our range of bilateral programmes that address this issue.
	Child marriage is driven by poverty and has many effects on girls' health, including increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, malaria and death during childbirth.
	The available evidence also indicates that girls who are married young are more vulnerable to partner violence and that this violence continues into adulthood. DfID is scaling up its programmes to prevent violence against girls and women.

Fuel Excise Duty

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 8 October (WA 406), which other HM Revenue and Customs offices do not permit on-line filing of excise duty returns.

Lord Sassoon: The facility to file returns online to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not depend on the individual office but on the tax regime. Excise duty covers a number of tax regimes, including hydrocarbon oils, alcohol, tobacco, holding and movement (of excise goods), air passenger duty and gambling.
	The table below sets out the tax regimes that do not permit online filing of excise duty returns.
	HMRC is developing a digital strategy which will set out how it will deliver its digital and internet services in the future. This strategy is due to be published in December 2012.
	
		
			 List of excise regimes that do not provide online filing 
			 Gambling Regimes 
			 Bingo Duty 
			 Betting Duty 
			 Amusement Machine Licence Duty (to be replaced by the Machine Games Duty from February 2013 which will provide online filing) 
			 Lottery Duty 
			 Gaming Duty 
			 Pool Betting Duty 
			 Remote Gaming Duty 
			 Environmental Taxes 
			 Climate Change Levy 
			 Aggregates Levy 
			 Landfill Tax 
			 Air Passenger Duty 
			 Alcohol Regimes 
			 Wine and Cider 
			 Beer 
			 Transport Taxes 
			 Hydrocarbon Oil 
			 Bio-diesel/Fuel substitutes 
			 Gas for use as a Road Fuel 
			 Tobacco 
			 Tobacco Products Duty 
			 Holding and Movements 
			 Registered Consignors 
			 Registered Mobile Operators 
			 Export Shops

Gambia

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of the Gambia, bilaterally and through the Commonwealth, about the application of academic freedom in the education system; and what outcomes have resulted.

Baroness Warsi: We have had no reason to make specific representations to the Gambian Government on this particular issue. However, allegations of corruption and issues surrounding freedom of expression do exist in the Gambian education sector, as they do in other sectors. We regularly raise our concerns over good governance and democracy with the Gambian Government, particularly through the political dialogue between the EU and the Gambia under Article 8 of the EU/Cotonou agreement. We will continue to work with international partners, including the Commonwealth, to raise our concerns.

Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how effective are their representations to the Government of Israel about access to and from Gaza, and coastal fishing, have been, particularly since the release of Corporal Shalit.

Baroness Warsi: In close co-ordination with our European Union partners and the Office of the Quartet Representative, we continue to press the Israeli Government at ministerial and official level to ease restrictions on access, imports and exports, including access to fishing areas. We welcome some recent steps in this direction, including the first exports of textile goods from Gaza to the UK. But these are clearly not as significant as we would like.

Government Departments: Research

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much each government department spends on research.

Lord Marland: Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) statistics were published in September 2012 on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website. Figures include departmental spend from 2001-02 up to 2010-11 on research and development (tables 2.1 and 2.2)-http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/science/docs/s/12-499-set-statistics-2012.xls.

Gypsies and Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the finding by the Planning Inspectorate that Hull City Council's core strategy failed to comply with the requirements of the planning policy for traveller sites, what steps they are taking to ensure that all local authorities will be able to put in place a sound plan for gypsy and traveller sites by the deadline of March 2013.

Baroness Hanham: Under the previous Administration, top-down targets from central government failed to provide adequate land for travellers and caused tensions with the local settled community. A new planning policy guidance on traveller sites, published in March 2012, gives councils the freedom and responsibility to determine the right level of traveller site provision in their area, in consultation with local communities, while ensuring fairness in the planning system.
	The Government's planning policy for traveller sites makes clear that local planning authorities should identify land to meet their needs for traveller sites, which will be robustly tested during plan examination. From 27 March 2013 where local planning authorities cannot demonstrate an up-to-date five-year supply of deliverable traveller sites, this should be a significant material consideration in any subsequent planning decision when considering applications for the grant of temporary planning permission for traveller sites.
	The Government are also offering incentives to develop appropriate levels of traveller site provision such as the new homes bonus. The Government have also secured £60 million traveller pitch funding to help local councils and other registered providers build new traveller sites.

Gypsies and Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 28 March (WA 268), what are the results of the first quarter's monitoring of the Local Authority Traveller Pitch Funding Programme administered by the Homes and Communities Agency.

Baroness Hanham: Programme management and monitoring, including quarterly contract review meetings between the Homes and Communities Agency and individual providers begin once they are in contract. Contracts have been signed between the Homes and Communities Agency and four of the 32 providers that have successfully bid for Traveller Pitch Funding.
	The agency's programme management and monitoring of those schemes shows that Durham County Council has begun work on four sites which are scheduled for completion in March 2015 and that work on the schemes in Bedford, Northumberland and Shropshire will commence shortly.
	Contract negotiations between the Homes and Communities Agency and the remaining providers are under way and we expect these to be concluded by the end of the year. The programme remains on track to deliver new and improved provision for travellers by March 2015.

Health: Prosthetics

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many military personnel were fitted with microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees in specialist rehabilitation centres in each of the past five years.

Lord Astor of Hever: The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court prescribes and fits prosthetics for Armed Forces (AF) personnel. The first microprocessor knee prescribed by DMRC was in 2008. To date, 96 Armed Forces personnel have been prescribed microprocessor knees which were fitted by the DMRC.
	The number of Armed Forces personnel prescribed and fitted by DMRC by year is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Armed Forces Personnel 
			 2008 5 
			 2009 17 
			 2010 42 
			 2011 20 
			 2012 (January-4 October) 12

Homeless Families

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to reduce the number of homeless families being forced into temporary bed and breakfast accommodation.

Baroness Hanham: It is unacceptable for families to be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation. Indeed, it is avoidable. Legislation remains in place that prohibits the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families unless in an emergency, and then for no more than six weeks. The law is also clear that local authorities must be satisfied that any accommodation they secure is suitable for the applicant and their household.
	The vast majority of local authorities in England, including most of the local authorities in London, are not in breach of the order, so we are confident that the numbers of households in bed and breakfast over six weeks can be reduced.
	In the recent Ministerial Working Group report on homelessness, MakingEvery Contact Count, we called on local housing authorities to deliver on 10 challenges. These included a commitment not to use bed and breakfast accommodation for families.
	In addition, in April the previous Minister for Housing, the right honourable Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), wrote privately to 20 local authorities with the most families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks, offering help and assistance from the department to reduce those numbers. Several of those authorities have made improvements since then.
	On top of all this, we have invested £400 million in homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12/2014-15) and announced an additional £70 million investment over the past year to tackle homelessness. We have also made available £450 million to local authorities to ease the transition across the welfare reforms in this Spending Review. This includes around £400 million for discretionary housing payments.
	We look to local authorities to improve the situation and not place families in bed and breakfast accommodation except in an emergency.

House of Lords: Members' Attendance

Lord Geddes: To ask the Chairman of Committees, further to his Written Answer on 25 July (WA 164), what were the party or group affiliations of those listed in each of the seven attendance categories.

Lord Sewel: The table below gives the information requested, in respect of the 644 Members who were eligible to sit in the House of Lords for all 293 sitting days in the 2010-12 Session. Individual figures are given for the main parties or groups, and an aggregated figure for the smaller political parties. The party or group affiliation given is that which applied on the last day of the 2010-12 session, 1 May 2012.
	
		
			 Attendance rate All members Bishops Conservative Crossbench Labour Liberal Democrat Other Parties Non-affiliated 
			 Under 10% 65 3 10 31 13 4 - 4 
			 Over 10% but under 20% 39 7 6 16 8 1 - 1 
			 Over 20% but under 33% 50 7 17 12 8 1 5 - 
			 Over 33% but under 50% 57 1 16 25 11 3 - 1 
			 Over 50% but under 66% 74 - 25 21 21 6 I - 
			 Over 66% but under 90% 218 - 61 52 71 28 5 1 
			 Over 90% 141 - 32 16 64 23 2 4

Housing Benefit

Baroness Brinton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of, and how many, (1) 16 year-olds, (2) 17 year-olds, (3) 18 to 21 year-olds, and (4) 22 to 24 year-olds, claim housing benefit in England; and, for each category, how many are (a) employed not on apprenticeships, (b) employed on apprenticeships, (c) claiming job seeker's allowance, (d) claiming employment and support allowance, and (e) claiming income support.

Lord Freud: The number of claimants of housing benefit (HB) and jobseeker's allowance (JSA) and employment support allowance (ESA) is not available. Information is available for those HB claimants whose claim is passported: that is, for those who receive either income support, jobseeker's allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income-based), or pension credit (guaranteed credit). The department does collect information on those in receipt of JSA or ESA on the housing benefit data source (SHBE) but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures would incur disproportionate cost.
	Such information as is available is in the table below.
	
		
			 Housing benefit recipients in England by age, passported status and employment, May 2012 
			  Percentage of age group (%) Number All non-passported Of which in employment Passported-in receipt of Income Support 
			 All HB recipients 8.2 4,295,670 1,533,780 814,350 935,380 
			 Age 16 0.2 1,030 170 50 780 
			 Age 17 0.8 5,390 870 300 3,850 
			 Age 18-21 4.7 131,750 24,150 16,540 57,380 
			 Age 22-24 8.6 188,390 55,010 40,860 77,290 
		
	
	Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE), ONS Mid-Term Population estimates for 2010.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place.
	2. Percentage population figures have been calculated using ONS Mid-Term Population Estimates for 2010.
	3. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	4. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month.
	5. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and May 2012 is the most recent available.
	6. Age groups are based on the age on the count date (second Thursday in the month), of either:
	(a) the recipient if they are single, or
	(b) the elder of the recipient or partner if claiming as a couple
	7. This data refers to people receiving housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis.

International Passenger Survey

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 3 July (WA 152), why International Passenger Survey interviews for foreign residents arriving in the United Kingdom are half the average length; whether children are interviewed; what are the most common reasons for declining an interview; how many self-completion questionnaires were given to Romanians in the past five years; and what happens in the case of an illiterate non-English speaker.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Laird, dated October 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty's Government, asking why International Passenger Survey interviews for foreign residents arriving in the United Kingdom are half the average length; whether children are interviewed, what are the most common reasons for declining an interview; how many self-completion questionnaires were given to Romanians in the last five years; and what happens in the case of an illiterate non-English speaker (HL2467).
	I am able to report the following details:
	the IPS is a multi-purpose survey, including provision of statistics relating to overseas travel and tourism (i.e. visits of fewer than 12 months' duration), and international migration The vast majority of passengers sampled on IPS are visiting for fewer than 12 months. These passengers are asked to attend a shorter interview of approximately two minutes as they start their visit (i.e. overseas residents in the case of arrivals interviews) and a longer interview of approximately four minutes when they end their visit (i.e. UK residents for arrivals interviews). The latter includes questions probing details such as spending on the visit, length of stay, main purpose of visit;children are selected for interview on IPS. The information relating to the child's visit is typically provided by an accompanying adult on the child's behalf;it is typically not possible to gauge the reason for declining an interview as the respondent will simply refuse to take part. Such cases are recorded as "refused". In 2011, 1.5% of cases refused;in the past five years 57 self-completion questionnaires have been completed by Romanian nationals This represents 3.5% of the total number of self-completion questionnaires issued; andin the case of an illiterate non-English speaker the interviewer will (unless s/he is able to speak that language) seek to ask help from passengers accompanying this individual to gain the information that is required. Further, steps are taken to obtain nationality and residence information from that respondent (for example by asking to see their passport) and this information is used in subsequent analysis Other steps are taken in cases of language or literacy difficulties, including use of foreign language questionnaires and conducting the full interview verbally without requiring the respondent to read anything.

Iran

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iran about the number of executions in that country; and what conclusions they draw from the replies.

Baroness Warsi: We have repeatedly called on Iran to address its appalling use of the death penalty (with over 650 executions last year), its scant regard for minimum international standards in its application, and abhorrent methods of execution. On 24 August 2012, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement condemning recent individual death sentences and executions in Iran, as well as the regime's overall record on human rights. The Iranian Government previously agreed to discuss concerns about the death penalty with the EU and the UN. However, to date, Iran has failed genuinely to engage on this issue. This is a further illustration of Iran's disregard for international human rights norms and standards. The UK will continue to condemn and draw attention to Iran's shameful record and speak out on cases of concern.

Iraq

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Iraq about the number of executions in that country; and what conclusions they draw from the replies.

Baroness Warsi: The Government of Iraq continues to argue that the death penalty is a necessary response to the high level of terrorist activity in Iraq. We are deeply concerned by the recent increase in the number of executions, particularly reports that 125 executions have been carried out in Iraq so far in 2012, almost double the total in 2011.
	We continue to raise our opposition to the death penalty with the Iraqi Government at the highest levels. We urge it to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty, and to reduce the number of crimes that carry the death penalty, as laid out in their national action plan on human rights.
	The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), issued a Statement on 30 August 2012 condemning the recent rise in executions. We joined an EU demarche to the Iraqi Parliament in Baghdad on 27 September 2012. Our embassy in Baghdad also sponsored an event on World Day against the Death Penalty to promote human rights-compliant alternatives to the death penalty.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request the Government of Israel to release from military custody Majd Farooq Abdelateef Obeid and Abdelateef Farooq Abdelateef Obeid and other protesters against road closures following their arrest on 21 September at Kufr Qeddoum in the occupied West Bank.

Baroness Warsi: We have not raised these specific cases but continue to press the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law, including in their policies on the detention and treatment of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have received regarding progress in constructing a waste water treatment plant in Salfit in the West Bank.

Baroness Northover: DfID has not received information specifically regarding progress in constructing a waste water treatment plant in Salfit in the West Bank. The main lead on water issues in the Occupied Palestinian Territories lies with the Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group (EWASH). EWASH co-ordinates project management among almost 30 donors, agencies and organisations working on water and sanitation projects in both the West Bank and Gaza, and ensures that the donor community's messages to the appropriate Israeli authorities on these issues are coherent and consistent. DfID is not a member of this group but is in regular contact with its members.

Libya

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what new assistance they are being given by the Government of Libya regarding the names and details of those responsible for the Lockerbie bombing; and whether the Government of Libya has stated that it will begin extradition of those others responsible.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Lockerbie bombing remains the subject of an open criminal investigation by the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary. It would not be appropriate for the British Government to comment on specific details about this investigation.
	The Libyan authorities have repeatedly made clear that Libya is committed to resolving the crimes from the Gaddafi era. The President of the Libyan General National Congress, Mohamed al-Magariaf, reassured the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), in September 2012 that Libya remained committed to seeing progress made on these outstanding issues. We will continue to press the new Libyan Government, when appointed, for swift progress and co-operation on the Lockerbie investigation.

Libya

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider seeking compensation for those killed and injured, and for property destroyed by, armaments supplied to the IRA by the previous Government of Libya, on the same lines as was arranged for the victims of Lockerbie.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: A key priority for the British Government's engagement with the new Libya is promoting broad and lasting reconciliation between Libya and those UK communities directly affected by Gaddafi's support of terrorism. We believe that compensation claims are best pursued directly with the Libyan Government through private campaigns.
	Although the British Government are not involved in any negotiations with the Libyan authorities on securing compensation payments, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides facilitation support to a number of such private campaigns. We also continue to encourage the Libyan authorities to engage with representatives of UK victims.

Manufacturing

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the campaign launched in July by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to promote a national industrial strategy for the revival of United Kingdom manufacturing.

Lord Marland: We welcome IMechE's campaign and its contribution to the debate on the industrial strategy. The priority areas highlighted by IMechE are broadly consistent with our industrial strategy, which was recently outlined by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Official Report, Commons, 10/9/12; col. 25).

Milk

Lord Knight of Weymouth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of school and nursery milk schemes to the dairy industry.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that childcarers providing milk through the nursery milk scheme are able to continue to source their milk from local dairy farmers and suppliers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on farmgate prices of national procurement of milk for the nursery milk scheme.

Earl Howe: The department has not made a specific assessment of the benefits of the Nursery Milk Scheme to the dairy industry. Milk supplied under the Nursery Milk Scheme represents less than 1% of the total value of the United Kingdom dairy market according to Dairy UK estimates. Therefore, the impact of the Nursery Milk Scheme on the dairy industry as a whole is likely to be small.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not made any formal assessment of the benefits of the EU School Milk Subsidy Scheme and the Primary School National Top-up Scheme. Whichever option is chosen to reform the operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme, we will take into account childcare providers' preferences for sourcing their milk.
	There has not been any formal assessment of the impact on farm-gate prices of national procurement of milk for the Nursery Milk Scheme. We do not expect the number of children participating in the scheme to change significantly as a result of the proposed reforms; the scheme is therefore unlikely to have any significant effect on the farm-gate price via the quantity of milk purchased for it.
	Also, in 2011-12, costs associated with the Nursery Milk Scheme covering Great Britain only were £53 million. This relates to less than 1% of the total value (£9 billion) of the UK dairy market according to industry estimates. Therefore, given that the scheme represents less than 1% of the UK dairy market it is unlikely that any milk provider participating in the scheme would have enough buyer power to influence the price it pays to farmers for the milk it supplies to childcare providers.
	However, as part of the consultation, we are carrying out an impact assessment of the proposed options on business including small to medium-sized businesses. We are gathering data during the consultation process to inform this assessment. Based on the evidence received, we will provide a fuller assessment of the direct impact on business.

National Insurance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Romanians have registered for United Kingdom national insurance numbers in total and in each year since that country's accession to the European Union in 2007; how many people were counted as net immigrants from Romania in their International Passenger Survey, in total, and in each year since 2007; and what was the overall rise in Romanian nationals in the United Kingdom from 2007 to date according to the Annual Population Survey.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Laird, dated October 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question: how many Romanians have registered for United Kingdom national insurance numbers in total and in each year since that country's accession to the European Union in 2007; how many people were counted as net immigrants from Romania in the International Passenger Survey, in total, and in each year since 2007; and what was the overall rise in Romanian nationals in the United Kingdom from 2007 to date according to the Annual Population Survey. (HL2416).
	In response to the first question, the number of Romanians who have registered for UK national insurance numbers can be seen in Table 1 below
	
		
			 Table 1: NINo Registrations to Romanian Nationals entering the UK, by date of registration (Thousands) : 
			 Year Romania 
			 Total 111,790 
			 2007 19,170 
			 2008 23,440 
			 2009 20,060 
			 2010 18,960 
			 2011 25,800 
			 2012 (January to March) 4,360 
		
	
	Source: 100% extract from National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System.
	Notes:
	1 Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding method used. Data are cumulative in calendar years from 1 January 2007 and March 2012 is the latest.
	2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System.
	3. Time Series-Calendar Year Of Registration Date Years are Calendar based (1 Jan-31 Dec).
	4. World Area of Origin is based on a client's nationality.
	5. The source data for this analysis are available on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: http.//statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?oaqe=tabtool.
	In response to the second question, table 2 below shows the estimated net migration of Romanian citizens (in thousands) into the UK from 2007 to 2010, along with the associated confidence interval. These are the latest estimates available and are based on the International Passenger Survey. Data for calendar year 2011 will be available in November 2012.
	
		
			 Table 2-Migration of Romanian citizens into/out of the UK, 2007-10 
			   thousands 
			  Immigration CI Emigration CI Net Migration CI 
			 Total 27 8 4 3 23 8 
			 2007 2 2 0 0 2 2 
			 2008 8 5 2 3 6 6 
			 2009 10 4 2 1 9 5 
			 2010 7 3 1 1 6 3 
		
	
	CI = 95% confidence interval is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.
	Source, International Passenger Survey (IPS), ONS.
	In response to the third question, the estimated increase in Romanian nationals resident in the UK from 2007 to date (2011), from the Annual Population Survey, is 74,000.

NHS: Public Inquiries

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost of all inquiries into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust undertaken by Robert Francis QC at the latest date for which information is available; how much of that cost has been incurred on the inquiry initiated by Secretary of State for Health in June 2010; and when they expect to receive the final report of the current inquiry.

Earl Howe: The first inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust undertaken by Robert Francis QC cost £1.7 million.
	The current inquiry, which is a public inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005 in June 2010, is independent of Government but funded by the department. As the inquiry is independent, it does not operate within a fixed budget and to date its expenditure has been £13 million. The costs of both inquiries into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust are a matter of public record and the costs for the current inquiry are available via the inquiry's website. Robert Francis QC has stated that he expects the final report of the inquiry to be delivered to the Secretary of State in January 2013.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea, concerning the findings and recommendations of his recent report to the United Nations General Assembly; and whether they support his calls for a comprehensive review of the relevant documents pertaining to violations of human rights in North Korea, to assess the underlying patterns and trends, and consider setting up a more detailed mechanism of inquiry.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The special rapporteur's most recent report to the UN General Assembly is an authoritative and important document that increases awareness of the situation in North Korea. The report includes the assessment that between 150,000 and 200,000 people may be detained in prison camps for political crimes. We are, of course, not able to verify this and other points highlighted within the report because the North Korean Government will not allow access to North Korea by independent observers. However, the figure on prison camp detainees is supported by evidence that international non-governmental organisations have collected from North Korean defectors.
	The British Government are currently considering the special rapporteur's report and his recommendation that the international community should undertake "a comprehensive review of the relevant documents pertaining to violations of human rights in North Korea to assess the underlying patterns and trends, and consider setting up a more detailed mechanism of inquiry".

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the establishment of a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity in North Korea, through the United Nations Human Rights Council or General Assembly.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The British Government are considering the merits of the proposal to set up a Commission of Inquiry and how this could complement our other bilateral and multilateral work North Korea. UK officials in New York intend to speak to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea to discuss his recommendation that the international community should undertake a comprehensive review of the relevant documents pertaining to violations of human rights in North Korea to assess the underlying patterns and trends, and consider setting up a more detailed mechanism of inquiry.
	I will write to the noble Lord with the outcome of these discussions.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of North Korea regarding Article 233 of the North Korean Criminal Code, which imposes up to five years of labour for anyone illegally crossing North Korean borders.

Baroness Warsi: We have not explicitly raised Article 233 in discussions with the North Korean Government. However, we have expressed our dissatisfaction at the widespread use of labour camps in North Korea. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London and Pyongyang have had several meetings with the North Korean Government in which we have discussed the specific issue of labour camps, the most recent of which was on 26 June 2012.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of North Korea regarding ending its policy of guilt by association; and whether they will call on the Government of North Korea to release all persons who have been detained under this policy.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The 2011 UN General Assembly resolution on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which was introduced jointly by the EU and Japan, expressed concern at North Korea's continued use of collective punishment. Our embassy in Pyongyang has bought this resolution to the attention of the North Korean Government.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also raised the UK's general concerns about the North Korean criminal justice system, alongside broader human rights concerns, with a visiting delegation from the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 2012. Separately, officials made similar points with North Korean officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during a visit to Pyongyang in June 2012. Our embassy in Pyongyang has also asked the North Korean Government repeatedly about a mooted amnesty of prisoners earlier this year. They have not yet received any further information on whether this amnesty will actually take place.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in North Korea on the imprisonment of individuals in that country and allegations of crimes against humanity.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The special rapporteur's most recent report to the UN General Assembly is an authoritative and important document that increases awareness of the situation in North Korea. The report includes the assessment that between 150,000 and 200,000 people may be detained in prison camps for political crimes. We are, of course, not able to verify this and other points highlighted within the report because the North Korean Government will not allow access to North Korea by independent observers. However, the figure on prison camp detainees is supported by evidence that international non-governmental organisations have collected from North Korean defectors.
	The British Government are currently considering the special rapporteur's report and his recommendation that the international community should undertake "a comprehensive review of the relevant documents pertaining to violations of human rights in North Korea to assess the underlying patterns and trends, and consider setting up a more detailed mechanism of inquiry".

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of North Korea regarding Kim Jong Un's recent declaration that his first, second and third priorities were to strengthen the military; and whether they have made any such representations about North Korea prioritising poverty, food shortages and human rights instead.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We have not made representations to the North Korean Government regarding Kim Jong-un's recent declaration on the prioritisation of the military. However, British Government officials, both in London and Pyongyang, have this year raised the high costs of North Korea's recent satellite launch. At that time we strongly made the case for North Korea to prioritise improving living standards and to address the food shortages throughout the country.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of North Korea regarding the songbun class structure.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We have not raised North Korea's songbun class structure with the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. However, we and international partners in-country-including the eight other EU member states in Pyongyang, the Red Cross and various UN agencies-ensure that our humanitarian aid is distributed widely and not just to the Pyongyang elite. This co-ordination is done primarily in-country and without regard to songbun status.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support the request made by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) in paragraph 26 of the 2012 Monaco Declaration that the OSCE Ministerial Council should report in writing to the Parliamentary Assembly and to national parliaments on the work of each outgoing chairperson-in-office in time for the report to be considered at the OSCE PA winter meeting each February.

Baroness Warsi: We support the need for strong and consistent communication and co-operation between the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCEPA) and national parliaments. It is for the participating states of the OSCE and the OSCE Secretariat, in communication with the OSCEPA, to jointly establish whether this recommendation is the most practical, efficient and effective method of enhancing that communication, set against existing mechanisms that could be utilised such as the annual report by the OSCE Secretary General on all OSCE activities that issues each spring.

Overseas Aid

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking through the overseas aid programme to encourage the provision of the necessary information and health services addressing the sexual and reproductive health of women and girls.

Baroness Northover: The UK is proud of putting girls and women at the centre of our international development effort. The UK Government's Framework for Results-"Choices for women: Planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns"-emphasises empowering women and girls to make healthy reproductive choices and act on them, expanding the supply of quality services, removing barriers to them and enhancing accountability for results.
	To deliver on these commitments the Department for International Development (DfID) works with a range of organisations who advocate for and support the provision of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information, services and supplies; for example, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). In addition, the recent London summit on family planning generated commitments to provide voluntary family planning information, services and supplies to an additional 120 million women and girls. Subsequent to this, at the September UN General Assembly, a new partnership that includes the UK Government is halving the cost of a long-acting, reversible method of contraception, making it available to 27 million women in the poorest countries.
	Country-level work includes DfID support for the innovative Safe Spaces programme, implemented by the Population Council. This aims to empower 10,000 adolescent girls aged 10-19 to reduce risky sexual behaviour and give them greater negotiating power in sexual relationships as well as providing vouchers that improve access to services.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role played by aid, provided both bilaterally and via the European Union, in improving the current economic situation in the West Bank.

Baroness Northover: UK and international aid is playing a vital role in helping to maintain growth levels, reduce household debt and improve investor confidence in the West Bank.
	Results achieved through DfID support in 2011-12 include 347 enterprises reporting improved performances in annual sales or productivity and 201,253 individuals covered by cash transfers. A recent assessment of the UK's Facility for New Market Development (FNMD) programme showed that it had benefited 603 firms and created over 3,000 permanent jobs. The programme significantly exceeded targets for both incremental sales ($118 million over the lifetime of the programme compared to the target of $75 million) and percentage increase in clients' exports (52% compared to the target of 40%).
	The final report of the EU's Mécanisme Palestino-Européen de Gestion de l'Aide Socio-Economique (PEGASE) programme of support to the Palestinian Authority concluded that the programme had reduced the Palestinian Authority budget deficit and stimulated private sector commerce and economic activity.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of peacebuilding funding is directed at activities specifically to promote women's rights and their participation in peacebuilding.

Baroness Northover: Support for women's rights and their participation in peace-building generally forms part of the UK's wider development and peace-building programmes. Data on spending totals are not disaggregated to this level of detail. The UK Government's Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS) highlights our commitment to supporting the role of women in building peace.

Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the Palestinian Authority becoming bankrupt and the potential causes of that.

Baroness Warsi: The Palestinian Authority (PA) is in a dire financial situation. This is of serious concern to us and EU partners. We have been clear that the only way to achieve a sustainable development of PA finances would require fundamental changes to the way the PA and the Palestinian economy can operate, including getting Israel to ease restrictions in Gaza and the West Bank in order to allow the private sector to provide greater revenues. It would also mean ensuring that Israeli transfers of Palestinian revenues flow regularly and transparently. The UK and EU partners continue to work on these issues, including on access to Area C, and to provide financial support for the PA.

Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the consequences of Palestine seeking to be recognised as a "non-member observer state" by the United Nations General Assembly.

Baroness Warsi: At this stage, no resolutions have been tabled in New York. If a UN General Assembly resolution were to be put to a vote we would consider our position and assess the consequences of Palestine seeking to be recognised as a non-member observer state. We continue to work for progress on the peace process more widely and would consider any resolution in this context.

Plasma Resources UK

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of Plasma Resources UK.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure the security of plasma supplies in the event of any sale of Plasma Resources UK.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much plasma is used by the National Health Service each year in the manufacture of products used for the treatment of NHS patients.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have received on the potential sale of Plasma Resources UK; and whether they will publish that advice.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they will undertake before any sale of Plasma Resources UK.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the Ministerial Written Statement on July 13 (WS 167) in which I announced the department's intention to explore new opportunities for the development of Plasma Resources UK Ltd (PRUK). This follows an independent strategic review carried out by Ernst and Young which found that the best interests of the company, the taxpayer and patients would now be served by investment from the private sector. This is to allow PRUK to grow and be successful in an established global industry while also seeking to ensure jobs are maintained in the bioscience sector of the economy.
	Lazard and Co have now been appointed to consider the most appropriate level of departmental ownership to deliver the department's objectives. This work will examine in detail the sale of all or part of the business, as well as other structures to determine the best solution for the business. Any future partner or investor would be chosen through a fair and open process and have to be able to demonstrate the necessary skills, experience and resources to work with the organisation to develop its potential, including investing new sums in plant technology.
	The advice received from Ernst and Young and Lazard and Co will inform the advice and recommendations given to Ministers by officials on the outcome of this work. There will be a public statement on Ministers' decisions and the next steps in the near future for which the reasoning and rationale for will be fully transparent.
	One of the key strategic aims of the review process is to ensure the security of plasma supplies. PRUK, through one of its two constituent companies, Bio Products Laboratory (BPL), is a commercial manufacturer of medicinal products such as clotting factors and immunoglobulin preparations which are made from large pools of human plasma. These products are sold around the world in competition against other major suppliers. In addition, BPL is a key supplier of relatively small amounts of specialist or niche products-it is the only supplier currently with a United Kingdom licence for the production of tetanus, rabies and VZ hyperimmunes. For these reasons we need to ensure the right investment takes place in BPL's infrastructure. The National Health Service currently relies on these products and we need to ensure this supply continues. Given the increasingly competitive nature of what is a global industry, it is essential that PRUK takes steps now to maximise the opportunities to secure both the capital investment and wider skills necessary to compete effectively.
	The level of plasma used to manufacture commercial plasma products will vary from supplier to supplier. Each litre of plasma can be used to manufacture a range of products from the same litre and the actual range of products made will also vary from supplier to supplier.
	BPL produces a range of products from each litre, albeit a smaller range than some of its larger competitors. All plasma used at BPL is sourced commercially from DCI Biologicals Inc in the United States of America, the other constituent company of PRUK. None of its plasma is sourced from voluntarily donated blood in the UK.
	No UK plasma is used for the manufacture of any fractionated plasma products. As such, virtually all plasma used at BPL is sourced commercially from DCI Biologicals Inc.
	Like other manufacturers, BPL sells products around the world and different countries buy different proportions of the product ranges. BPL, as with other suppliers, may also sell surplus intermediate product, for example, paste, to other suppliers if this makes economic sense.
	It is therefore not possible to give a precise answer from the level of end products used in the NHS to the amount of plasma used in the production process even for BPL. Also figures for plasma consumption in a time period do not equate directly to the sale price in the same period because of the time lag between the collection of plasma and use of the finished product, any licensing requirements and other factors.
	Figures from BPL for the financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 are given in the following table. BPL has approximately 25-35% of the market share for the supply of immunoglobulins, which is generally regarded as the key product range, to the NHS in England and Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  2009-10 £ Million 2010-11 £ Million 
			 Home (NHS) Product Sales 60.4 64.3 
			 Export Product Sales 54.0 46.1 
			 Plasma consumption '000 Litres 712 454 
		
	
	The department does not have access to data from other companies.
	Plasma is also used as a therapeutic treatment (as opposed to plasma products) and some UK plasma is issued to hospitals, by the UK blood services, as Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and Cryoprecipitate for direct clinical use; the rest is discarded.
	In 2011-2012, NHS Blood and Transplant issued 248,600 units of FFP and 25,200 units of pooled Cryoprecipitate to hospitals (both NHS and private)1 in England and North Wales. Supplies to other hospitals in the UK are managed by the Scottish, Welsh and Irish blood services. As a measure to prevent potential transmission of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to patients receiving transfusions, a smaller amount of FFP is imported from Europe for use in all babies and children up to the age of 16.
	This review process does not involve NHS service changes and the associated statutory consultation duties. Any major proposals would be subject to the appropriate staff consultation.
	Notes: 1 NHSBT does not hold information on the number of units issued to hospitals for use on NHS patients but the majority of NHSBT's customers are NHS hospitals.

Police: Firearms

Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Home Office Guidance to Police on Firearms Law will be published.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government are reviewing the current guidance document and consulting with relevant parties. We will issue an updated version in due course.

Prisoners: Hepatitis C

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the Health Protection Agency's National Survey of Hepatitis C Services in Prisons in England, published in July 2012.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, in light of the Health Protection Agency's National Survey of Hepatitis C Services in Prisons in England, whether they plan to issue guidance on best practice, in particular in relation to (1) the availability of dried blood testing, (2) the routine testing of blood samples for polymerase chain reaction if they have a positive antibody test result, and (3) ensuring prisons have a written care pathway in place to describe what happens to prisoners who test positive for hepatitis C infection.

Earl Howe: The July 2012 National Survey of Hepatitis C Services in Prisons in England was co-designed, conducted and published through partnership work between Offender Health, the department's National Liver Disease Strategy Team (Strategy Team) and the Health Protection Agency's (HPA's) Prison Infection Prevention Team. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The survey will provide policymakers, commissioners and service providers with useful information on the current level of service provision. Although the results show that the majority of prisons are working actively with their National Health Service partners and other stakeholders to improve access to diagnosis, treatment and care for prisoners, some variations in models of care in prison and following release were identified.
	From April 2013, the NHS Commissioning Board will commission health services for people in prison, replacing current primary care trust commissioners. This presents an opportunity to address some of the variations identified in this survey.
	On the specific issue of the availability of dried blood spot testing (DBST), the survey results showed that 10% of responding prisons provide this service but usually as an adjunct to venous blood sampling. The provision of DBST in both community and custodial settings is the subject of active discussion between the HPA, local commissioners and service providers.
	The department recommends, based on the findings of the survey, that laboratories should ensure that all blood samples that test positive for the hepatitis C antibody should be routinely tested for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the first step in accessing a care pathway in prison. This issue has been raised with the HPA.
	The Prison Health Performance and Quality Indicators (PHPQIs) already require evidence that there is a "hepatitis C policy agreed by the PCT/Prison Partnership Board, including as a minimum, health promotion, criteria for offering testing and a care pathway with clear criteria for referral to specialist treatment where this is indicated".
	Suggested supporting evidence to meet this criterion include "a written hepatitis C policy which includes health promotion, criteria for offering testing and a care pathway with clear criteria for referral to specialist treatment where this is indicated".
	The department and HPA are planning to conduct a detailed audit in a representative sample of prisons of hepatitis C services which will pick up details such as access to DBST and use of PCR tests following a positive antibody result on serology and written care pathways, pending usual approvals. We expect to publish this audit report next year.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many transfers have taken place under the Mental Health Act between prisons and hospitals in England and Wales in each year since 2007, and what proportion of these have taken (1) fewer than 14 days and (2) more than 14 days.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Justice publishes information about the number of Mental Health Act transfers between prisons and hospitals and this is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Transfers 873 926 940 945 953 
		
	
	Source:
	Ministry of Justice Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2011.
	The Government do not have reliable information about the time taken to transfer prisoners between prison and hospital.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that transfer of prisoners to hospitals under the Mental Health Act are completed within 14 days in line with the recommendation in the Bradley report.

Earl Howe: In March 2011, the department published good practice guidance concerning the transfer of prisoners to hospital under the Mental Health Act. Additional, revised guidance has been agreed by the department and the Ministry of Justice and will be published for the National Health Service and prisons later in the year.

Racial Economic Equality

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the report of the inquiry into the barriers preventing black and minority ethnic groups of people from accessing loans as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister in last year's Scarman Memorial lecture.

Baroness Hanham: The DCLG-led cross-government review into the barriers preventing black and minority ethnic entrepreneurs from accessing business finance will report back on its findings shortly.

Research and Development: Expenditure

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of gross domestic product was spent on research and development in 2010; what is their estimate for 2011; and what is the projected spend for 2015.

Lord Marland: In 2010, gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) was £26.4 billion and represented 1.8% of gross domestic product.
	The 2011 GERD figures will be published by the Office for National Statistics in March 2013.
	Business expenditure research and development figures (BERD) accounts for around two-thirds of GERD. The 2011 BERD figures will be published in November 2012.
	Neither the Government nor the Office for National Statistics forecast gross expenditure on research and development.

Retail: Small Shops

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being taken to support small shops.

Lord Marland: The Government are actively working to help retailers. Retail is vitally important to local and national economies. This was why it was chosen to be one of the first sectors to be the subject of a growth review, and was the first theme chosen for the Red Tape Challenge. These initiatives identified a number of barriers to successful retail performance and growth, which the Government are addressing.
	As a result the Government have committed to extending small business rate relief and announced that 160 regulations impacting on retailers or their customers will be scrapped or simplified. We are also conducting a review of employment law.
	In March, the Government's formal response to the recommendations made by Mary Portas in her report, An Independent Review into the Future of our High Streets, was published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The report contained 28 recommendations, raising a number of important issues affecting today's high streets, and provided some useful and interesting ways in which government, local authorities, business and the public can begin to address them.
	DCLG took immediate action in implementing some of the recommendations, including on high street pilots.
	Four hundred and nineteen town teams put in bids to become Portas Pilots, bringing communities together from across the country planning to secure the future of their town centres. Twenty-seven Portas Pilots have now been announced.
	DCLG are offering the remaining 392 town teams the opportunity to put their town first by becoming a town team partner-they will receive access to a share of a £4 million fund to take forward key elements of their original plan for reviving their high streets, as well as support from the Association of Town Centre Management, which will provide town team partners access to a range of advice, information, mentoring support and events.
	The Government also announced a £1 million Future High Street X-Fund, which will award prizes to the location or locations which have delivered the most creative and effective schemes for revitalising their high street, since the Portas review was launched in May 2011. The fund is open to all. The closing date for applications is 6 December. Winners will be announced in March 2013.
	Retailers are also able to benefit from the same range of support offered by BIS to help small and medium businesses to start and thrive, through:
	improved access to finance;a more positive business environment which supports growth and ease of starting a business, and where new businesses and economic opportunities are more evenly shared between regions and industries;a major programme to reform the way that people running a business get the information, guidance and support they need to start and grow a business; andbuilding a more entrepreneurial culture, equipping people with the skills and ambition to start a business.

Schools: Creationism

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Exemplar Academy in Newark will be teaching creationism as part of the curriculum; if so, whether it will teach creationism as one theory of many or as fact; and whether they will publish any guidance they have provided to Ofsted on the matter.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We would not approve any free school application where we had any concerns that the applicants intended to teach creationism as a valid scientific theory, in science or any other subject. Furthermore, the teaching of creationism as science in any lesson is forbidden by the funding agreement entered into with all free schools.
	Issues relating to the appropriateness of the teaching of aspects of the curriculum are within the scope of school inspection. Such concerns would be considered during the course of an inspection and this would be reflected in Ofsted's assessment of the school. We do not provide any specific guidance to Ofsted on this matter as the Government's position is clear and unambiguous.

Sunday Trading

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to change the law with respect to Sunday trading.

Lord Marland: The Government have no plans at this stage to change the law on Sunday trading.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will observe the pending trials of 90 journalists in Turkey, in order to verify their fairness.

Baroness Warsi: The British Government do not plan to observe all the pending trials of 90 journalists in Turkey. The EU delegation in Ankara co-ordinates attendance and monitoring by officials of member states at high-profile trials of journalists. As a member state of the EU, UK officials support this process.
	The Deputy Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), raised the issue of freedom of expression in his recent visit to Turkey.
	The 2012 European Commission's annual progress report on Turkey strongly criticised Turkey's human rights record. Along with our EU partners, we urge Turkey to make further progress on issues such as freedom of expression and access to fair trials.

UN: International Day of the Child

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child.

Baroness Northover: We welcomed the inaugural International Day of the Girl on 11 October as a critical opportunity to highlight the importance of advancing girls' lives and opportunities across the globe. This is a priority for the UK Government and we have put girls and women at the heart of international development.
	To mark the day I spoke at the launch of Plan International's report on the State of the World's Girls and announced funding for a new three-year multi-country programme to build the self-confidence, leadership and advocacy skills of 24,000 girls and young women in developing countries through sports programmes.
	The Department for International Development (DfID) also held internal events to highlight the work we are doing through the Girl Hub and hosted an expert panel on early and forced marriage. A new resource was also launched to help staff consider how to address early and forced marriage through development interventions.

Universal Credit

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the regime for universal credit will limit the number of hours of volunteer activity which can be undertaken by a claimant.

Lord Freud: Claimants can undertake as many hours undertaking voluntary work as they want but for the purposes of UC we can only allow up to 50% of their expected hours of work as a relevant deduction against their work-search activities for the week.
	The maximum expected hours of work search per week under UC will be 35 hours. This means the maximum we can allow as a relevant deduction against their expected hours of work is 17.5 hours per week.

Uzbekistan

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to encourage the Government of Uzbekistan to outlaw child slave labour in the cotton textile industry and to prevent products made using child slave labour in Uzbekistan from entering the United Kingdom.

Baroness Warsi: The British Government have long-standing concerns about the use of child labour in Uzbekistan. While we welcomed Uzbekistan's ratification of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on the minimum age of employment and on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, we are concerned by the continuing gap between legislative measures taken by the Uzbek authorities and their practical implementation. We regularly make our concerns clear to the Uzbek authorities. We also make clear that we are ready to assist them in implementing the international commitments to which they have signed up.
	We continue to engage with the Uzbek authorities on practical ways to support the diversification of Uzbekistan's agricultural sector. There are some indications that the Uzbek Government's focus on diversification is having an impact both on reducing the use of child labour in the cotton harvest and on developing a more sustainable livelihood for farmers.
	However, limited access makes the situation difficult to assess. Our embassy in Tashkent takes every opportunity to gather information first hand and works closely with the international community and non-governmental organisations.
	We continue to call on businesses to look at their supply chains and take appropriate action if they find evidence that goods have been produced using child labour. However, the Government believe that decisions on import controls are best taken at EU level to ensure a level playing field across the EU single market. Given the practical difficulties in linking specific imports with the use of child labour, we do not believe that an import ban would solve the problem.

Waste Management: Incinerators

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to refer the proposal for a 190,000-ton capacity mass burn incinerator at Javlin Park, Haresfield, Gloucestershire to the Planning Inspectorate prior to the granting of planning consent.

Baroness Hanham: The Government will only refer the case to the Planning Inspectorate if the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government decides to call-in the application for his own determination.
	The application is currently under being considered by Gloucestershire County Council and is still out to public consultation. It is not the policy of the Government to consider call-in of applications at such an early stage.
	The Secretary of State is very selective about calling in applications and will only do so if they raise issues of national importance.